Colon cancer screening programmes using the Viatronix V3D virtual
colonoscopy platform
3 December 2009
Viatronix has announced that several successful screening
programs using the company's virtual colonoscopy technology were
highlighted at the recent 10th International Symposium on Virtual
Colonoscopy.
The company's virtual colonoscopy system takes a series of 2D
computed tomography (CT) images of the colon and using specialised
software converts these into into a 3D model of the colon that the
doctor can use to screen for polyps and other abnormalities.
The system gives high resolution and unrestricted viewing of all
angles of the colon surfaces. It is also less invasive, faster, more
comfortable for the patient, and as no sedation is required allows the
patient immediate resumption of activity.

A V3D reconstructed image of a colon
Programs that used the Viatronix V3D-Colon platform for their routine
screening include: The Colon Health Initiative CHI) from Department of
Defense, the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, and the Washington
Radiology Associates in Washington D.C.
The CHI program includes the National Naval Medical Center at
Bethesda, MD and Walter Reed Army Medical Center at Washington, DC. The
CHI institutions represent a successful screening program led by
government facilities for more then five years. Several thousand
patients have been screened utilizing the V3D-Colon platform at these
facilities.
The University of Wisconsin CTC screening program now includes two
hospitals and three clinics. This is the first community-based screening
program that is reimbursed by several local insurance carriers. At the
University of Wisconsin more than 6,000 patients have been screened thus
far and they continue to screen more.
The Washington Radiology Associates screening program in Washington,
DC is operated entirely by a private imaging group for more then six
years.
In Canada, The Joint Department of Medical Imaging (5 teaching
hospitals affiliated with the University of Toronto) has provided CTC
screening for the Greater Toronto Area since 2001. Their program is
currently centered at the Mount Sinai Hospital in downtown Toronto.
All of these programs have been successfully screening thousands of
patients over several years utilizing the Viatronix V3D-Colon platform.
Another important step towards bringing VC/CTC screening in the
mainstream was recent announcement by the American Medical Association
(AMA) - the approval of 3 new Category I - CPT codes for CTC with an
effective date of January 2010.